Valley Youth Theatre turns kids into pros

• Valley Youth Theatre opens its 2014-15 season with %22West Side Story%22 at the Herberger Theater.
• Serving as choreographers are two VYT alums%2C Katie Rex Casey and Lucas Coatney.
• They credit the Phoenix company with preparing them for success in the arts and in life.

Hollywood actress Emma Stone and "American Idol" champ Jordin Sparks are just two of the entertainment-biz stars who got their starts at Phoenix's Valley Youth Theatre.

Such success stories make for great marketing, and longtime artistic director Bobb Cooper has not been shy about trumpeting his celebrity alums. But the company never set out to be a star-making machine.

"The mission of the organization is to inspire young people to be the best that they can be," Cooper says, "and we use the vehicle of theater to do that."

That's exactly how alum Katie Rex Casey remembers her VYT experience.

"Not everyone who comes out of Valley Youth Theatre is a successful performer, but everyone I know is successful in one way or another," she says. "I have a friend who's a journalist; I have a friend who's a lawyer.

"You not only learn how to believe in yourself and be confident in your abilities, but you learn how to work in a team; you learn how to respect the people around you in a really deep way. You learn skills that you need as an adult or in the college world that I don't think you necessarily get in the education system."

These days Casey runs her own small business, WOW! Custom Education, which tutors and advocates for students with special needs and develops personalized curricula for homeschooling. But she still keeps a foot in the performing arts, including a return to VYT this summer to help choreograph its season-opening production of "West Side Story," which opened Aug. 8 at the Herberger Theater Center.

She knows the show well, having performed in three previous productions with the company. Two of them were with her co-choreographer — and friend since elementary school — Lucas Coatney. He performed for seven years in New York, and his recent credits include Phoenix Theatre's "Rent" and "La Cage aux Folles."

He is equally proud to be an unfamous VYT alum.

"I haven't been on Broadway; I haven't been on the screen, but I've worked consistently as an actor since I left Valley Youth Theatre," he says. "That's what I've always wanted and what VYT helped me with. So in my little Old Town Scottsdale world, I've done what I've planned."

Coatney's first "West Side Story" was in 1995, before Cooper took over. The company was performing in a makeshift theater at the old Tower Plaza Mall in Phoenix.

"No one came to the shows. We had to give away tickets," Coatney says.

"Back in the day, Greasepaint (Youtheatre in Scottsdale) was the children's theater to be at, because it produced great shows, whereas VYT was kind of the weak link. We had the heart, but it wasn't as great as Greasepaint. And then Bobb came along and had this huge vision, and we had nothing to do but go with it."

Cooper came to Valley Youth Theatre in 1996, relocating from Los Angeles, where he and his wife, Karol, had enjoyed a career performing as "Bobbo and Kookee" at birthday parties for children of the rich and famous, including future California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

During his tenure, the company has moved into its own building in downtown Phoenix and has seen huge growth in audiences and budget.

Professionalism is Cooper's mantra. That means, for starters, expecting kids to show up prepared and on time and to stay focused during rehearsal.

"In order to inspire them to be the best they can be, our organization has to be the best that we can be," Cooper says. "So I've made it my mission to do everything in my power give these people the most professional experience possible."

That experience has made a real impact for hundreds of kids who have studied and performed with the company. But for Casey, the best thing about Valley Youth Theatre is the sense of community and acceptance that it creates. It is a place, she says, "where you learn how to be you."

"My connection with VYT has been so rich. It's really shaped who I've become. It taught me, if you have an idea, take it and run with it. Believe in yourself. And I've done that throughout my life."

Valley Youth Theatre: 'West Side Story': Friday, Aug. 8, through Sunday, Aug. 24. Herberger Theater Center, 222 E. Monroe St., Phoenix. $20-$38. 602-252-8497, vyt.com.

Reach the reporter at kerry.lengel@arizonarepublic.com or 602-444-4896.